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Science X Newsletter Thursday, Apr 2

Dear ymilog,

Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for April 2, 2020:

Due to an increasing volume of information and news about the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, we have split stories concerning the virus into a separate category in the MedicalXpress daily newsletter. As always, you may configure your email newsletter preferences in your ScienceX account.

One way to change the properties of a material is to stretch it just a wee bit, so its atoms are farther apart but the bonds between them don't break. This extra distance affects the behavior of electrons, which determine whether the material is an insulator or a conductor of electricity, for instance.

Droplets and bubbles are formed nearly everywhere, from boiling our morning coffee, to complex industrial processes and even volcanic eruptions. New research from SINTEF and NTNU in Norway, improves our understanding of how these bubbles and droplets form. This could improve our ability to model climate change.

Scientists seek to use quantum materials—those that have correlated order at the subatomic level—for electronic devices, quantum computers, and superconductors. Quantum materials owe many of their properties to the physics that is occurring on the smallest scales, physics that is fully quantum mechanical.

Since its beginnings, quantum mechanics hasn't ceased to amaze us with its peculiarity, so difficult to understand. Why does one particle seem to pass through two slits simultaneously? Why, instead of specific predictions, can we only talk about evolution of probabilities? According to theorists from universities in Warsaw and Oxford, the most important features of the quantum world may result from the special theory of relativity, which until now seemed to have little to do with quantum mechanics.

Entangled photons can be used to improve imaging and measurement techniques. A team of researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering IOF in Jena has developed a quantum imaging solution that can facilitate highly detailed insights into tissue samples using extreme spectral ranges and less light.

Turbulent flows are chaotic yet feature universal statistical properties.Over the recent years, seemingly turbulent flows have been discovered in active fluids such as bacterial suspensions, epithelial cell monolayers, and mixtures of biopolymers and molecular motors. In a new study published in Nature Physics, researchers from the University of Barcelona, Princeton University and Collège de France have shown that the chaotic flows in active nematic fluids are described by distinct universal scaling laws.

The human body evolved within the constant force of Earth's gravity. To prevent bone and muscle atrophy during their stays in space, astronauts must exercise every day. For researchers studying bone or muscle loss that might be caused by diseases, aging or a sedentary lifestyle, the microgravity environment aboard the International Space Station is a unique place to perform experiments that can help us understand how the body works.

Simulating the test flight of a hypersonic glider, being developed through the international HEXAFLY-INT collaboration, involving partners across Europe, Russia, Australia and Brazil and supported by the European Commission and ESA.

The global demand for rechargeable batteries has grown exponentially over the past decade or so, as they are needed to power the increasing numbers of portable electronic devices such as smart phones, laptops, tablets, smart watches and fitness trackers. To work most efficiently, rechargeable batteries should have a high energy density, yet they should also be safe, stable and environmentally friendly.

Researchers at a company called Bleeping Computer have exposed another security flaw with the conferencing application Zoom—one that allows hackers to steal user passwords. The vulnerability in the software application comes at a time when its popularity has skyrocketed as employees use it to work from home due to the ongoing global pandemic.

Storage trays in cars can be real dustbowls. But they also fulfill a useful function. Where else to store those sunglasses, paper handkerchiefs or a parking disc? A new type of storage tray, developed by the Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Forming Technology IWU, is concealed in the dashboard and only materializes when needed—a particularly useful feature for car-share vehicles.

Hydrogen is indispensable to successfully transitioning to renewables and meeting climate targets. It is the essential building block of sector coupling. While it provides an ecofriendly option to meet industry demand for electricity, heat and transportation, this versatile energy source is only ecofriendly when it is sourced from renewables. The Fraunhofer Institute for Factory Operation and Automation IFF has a demand-driven, distributed, modular solution that produces and distributes green hydrogen.

Robots are being deployed in more and more situations, many of which involve collaboration between humans and robots—for example relieving humans of onerous tasks in the workplace. The challenges are how to integrate the robot into the working environment and how to operate it. In a joint project with Volkswagen AG the Fraunhofer Institute for Telecommunications, Heinrich Hertz Institute, HHI, will demonstrate the advantages that the use of human-robot collaboration (HRC) can bring to the inspection of welding seams in the automotive industry.

With #StayAtHome and social distancing now becoming a way of life, an increasing number of people are relying on the internet for work, education and entertainment. This has placed greater demand on our network infrastructure, reducing the bandwidth available for each user, and is leaving people frustrated at seemingly slow internet speeds.

In the final few minutes of a spacecraft landing it is moving at hypersonic speeds through many layers of atmosphere. Knowing the air density outside of the vehicle can have a substantial effect on its angle of descent and ability to hit a specific landing spot. But air density sensors that can withstand the harsh hypersonic conditions are uncommon. A student from The Netherlands, working with an aerospace engineer at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, developed an algorithm that can run onboard a vehicle, providing important real-time data to aid in steering the craft, particularly during the crucial entry, descent, and landing stage.

For many years, researchers have turned to the public logs of search engine terms to help them track the spread of disease. They can analyze the keywords and phrases that people use and when they become interested in a disease or have symptoms. Much value has been recognized in this kind of disease tracking and it has been used to research influenza outbreaks, the spread of MERS and the Zika virus, and other health problems. At the time of writing, it is approximately three months since we first recognized the emergence of a new coronavirus in China that would ultimately become known as the pathogen to cause the novel pandemic disease, Covid-19.

The fear surrounding coronavirus and the governor's executive order mandating people stay home as much as possible has decimated public transportation in the metro area. Over the past two weeks, the Regional Transportation District (RTD) has experienced drastic drops in ridership, and just last week, RTD voted to slash rail and bus service effective April 19.

A storm nears the coast, stirring up wind and waves. Along the boardwalk that lines the beach, a row of oversize concrete umbrellas begins to tilt downward, transforming from a convenient canopy to a shield against the coming onslaught.

As part of their efforts to slow the outbreak of coronavirus, governments, research institutions and industry are developing contact tracing apps to record interactions between people. The apps warn users if one of the people they have been recorded as being in contact with is later diagnosed with COVID-19 so they can take appropriate steps like self-isolation.

The shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) available to healthcare professionals has become increasingly problematic as Covid-19 cases continue to surge. The sheer volume of PPE needed to keep both doctors and their patients safe in this current crisis is daunting—for example tens of millions of disposable face shields will be needed nationwide each month. This week, a team from MIT launched mass manufacturing of a new technique to meet the high demand for disposable face shields.

Fears that internet networks could buckle after millions of people went into coronavirus lockdown have proven unfounded, according to a report released Thursday which details huge surges in streaming and video conferencing in Europe and the US.

European airline giant Lufthansa said Thursday it has placed 87,000 workers—more than 60 percent of its workforce—on government-backed shorter hours schemes, as air travel idles amid the coronavirus crisis.

Manufacturers must be able to respond immediately to faults in machinery and equipment, so as to avoid downtime. An acoustic monitoring system by the Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Media Technology IDMT in Oldenburg recognizes based on noises whether production parameters are within the set limit values. AI-based techniques help manufacturers draw conclusions about the machine condition and optimize production control.

Tomorrow's industrial Internet will integrate technologies that imitate human cognitive skills such as the ability to plan, to learn, and to perceive our surroundings. The Fraunhofer Cluster of Excellence Cognitive Internet Technologies CCIT is working to realize the vision of a Cognitive Internet of Things.

The coronavirus pandemic sent global air passenger demand plunging 14 percent in February, marking the steepest decline in traffic since the September 11 attacks in 2001, the global aviation association said Thursday.

Flagship airline British Airways will temporarily lay off 28,000 employees, or 60 percent of its workforce, due to the coronavirus crisis which is paralysing the sector, trade union Unite announced Thursday.

Amazon on Thursday said it is temperature-checking more than 100,000 workers daily and handing out masks as part of ramped-up defenses against the coronavirus pandemic.

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